FR2517710A1 - Imparting aged and faded appearance to cotton textiles - esp. blue denim, by washing in presence of pumice and calcium cpd. - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for giving a faded and aged appearance to cotton textiles comprises first washing with hot water to eliminate finishing agents and then treating (in a rotating-drum washing machine) with pumice and lime or a calcium salt. The machine is then exptied and the materials subjected to a series of hot and/or cold water rinses. The rinses are carried out in presence of the pumice and also, for one rinse, of an acid. Pref. the first stage is at 80 deg.C for 10 min. and the machine is rotated at 50-150 rpm. For every 100 kg of textiles, 150-250 kg pumice, 30-100 kg lime or Ca salt and 140-300 l water are used. The method is esp. applied to denim. Treated garments are soft in to the tough and resemble those which have been aged/faded by normal extended wearing.

Description

 Process for washing and aging textile articles.

 The present invention relates to a process of washing and aging of textile articles in cotton canvas better known under the term of "Jeans".

 These textile articles, such as pants and jackets in cotton canvas called "denim", are practically never worn in new condition but are beforehand either treated in order to remove the finish and standardize the dye, or washed out. and simultaneously aged.

Insofar as the current fashion trend is more particularly oriented towards the wearing of faded and aged clothes, various methods can be implemented in order to achieve such a result,
Among the known and hitherto used methods, mention may in particular be made of treatments using sand or pumice stones in washing machines.

 The results obtained by these methods are not entirely satisfactory insofar as these textile articles of the "jeans" type do not have, after treatment, areas of surface wear comparable to those which can be obtained when these garments are worn for periods. of more or less prolonged time.

 Furthermore, according to these methods, the washing, that is to say the partial elimination of the dye, is irregular, which gives the garments obtained an unattractive appearance.

 It has now been found that particularly interesting results could be obtained by treating these textile articles in cotton canvas using certain agents and under special conditions.

 Indeed, thanks to the method according to the present invention, the textile articles obtained after treatment, while having an excellent flexibility to the touch, have a natural appearance such as that which could be obtained if these articles had been worn regularly over a period extended time.

 In fact, according to the method of the present invention, the areas of surface wear or aging are essentially located at the places where the natural wear of this type of clothing generally occurs.

 In addition, the washing is relatively uniform, so that the general appearance of the clothing is not significantly different from that of clothing naturally aged by use.

 The subject of the present invention is a new process for washing and aging textile articles in cotton canvas and more particularly in so-called "denim" canvas, this process comprising the steps consisting in first eliminating the finishing of the textile articles by treatment with hot water, then subjecting said textile articles placed in a rotary drum washer to the simultaneous action of pumice stones and lime or of a calcium salt at bath temperature, and optionally by raising temperature, to drain the washer and to subject said textile articles in the presence of pumice stones to a series of rinses with hot and / or cold water, one of said rinses being carried out in the presence of an acid .

 The primer removal operation is preferably carried out in the washer used for the wash-out and aging treatment, but may optionally be carried out in a separate apparatus.

 This treatment is generally carried out using water brought to a temperature of approximately 800C for a time of the order of 10 minutes, then a rinse is carried out with cold water.

 The horizontal rotary drum washer can be of variable capacity. although it is preferred according to the invention to use a washer with a volume of 700 to 3000 liters capable of treating on the order of 40 to 120 kg and more of textile articles essentially consisting of pants or jackets of the " jeans".

For 100 kg of textile articles loaded in the washer, the following proportions are introduced
10) 150 to 250 kg of pumice stones
20) 30 to 100 kg of lime and / or a calcium salt
and 30) 140 to 300 liters of water.

 Preferably, the pumice stones have sizes comprised between 30 and 150 mm of which approximately 30% have sizes comprised between 40 and 110 mm, 30% between 30 and 80 mm and 40% between 60 and 150 mm.

 The lime used in the process according to the invention can be quicklime or slaked lime but preferably quicklime. As the calcium salt, calcium chloride can be used.

 According to a variant of the present invention, when it is desired to obtain a more thorough washing, the treatment can be carried out in the presence of hydrochloric acid and in this case a lower proportion of lime or calcium salt is generally used between 30 and 68 kg per 100 kg of textile articles, the amount of concentrated hydrochloric acid being between 6 and 20 liters.

 After loading the washer with water, pumice stones, lime or calcium salt and optionally hydrochloric acid, the washer is then rotated at a speed preferably of between approximately 50 and 150 rpm for approximately 10 to 15 minutes at the temperature of the bath, then possibly 10 to 15 min at around 60 - 900C.

 After this treatment, the washer is drained and then a series of rinses with cold water and hot water is carried out, one of which is preferably rinsed in the presence of soap (6 to 10 kg of soap for 200 to 1500 l of water), and the penultimate rinse being carried out in the presence of an aqueous solution of acetic acid (12 to 16 l in 400 to 1000 l of water) hot and preferably at a temperature d 'around 600C (these proportions are always expressed per 100 kg of textile articles).

 When hydrochloric acid is used in the treatment, one of the rinses is carried out in the presence of sodium carbonate (6 to 20 kg per 100 kg of textile articles), this so as to remove the residual acidity .

 After a final washing with water, the washer is then opened and its contents made up of treated textile articles and pumice stones are discharged.

 After having separated the pumice stones which can be reused in at least two subsequent operations, the textile articles are then subjected to a drying operation.

 In order to illustrate the process of the present invention, we will now give, by way of illustration and without any limiting character, two examples of the process of washing and aging of textile articles.

Example 1.

In a horizontal rotary drum washer of the type
DIAMOND and with a volume of 2000 liters fitted with a heating system, 80 pants of the "blue jeans" type are weighed, weighing approximately 700 to 800 g each, then 600 liters of water are introduced, and the temperature is brought to 800C, this for about 10 minutes.

 After rinsing with cold water, the washer is opened and about 125 kg of pumice stones, the size of which varies between 30 and 150 min, are introduced, 100 liters of water and 50 kg of quicklime are distributed in the drum. After having locked the closure, the drum is then put into rotation for 10 minutes at bath temperature, then 10 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 800C and at a speed of rotation of the order of 100 rpm.

 The washer is then emptied, then rinsed once with cold water, then with 600 liters of water containing approximately 5 kg of soap at a temperature of approximately 80 C.

 After a new series of cold and then hot rinses with water (600 liters for each rinse), a rinsing is carried out with an acetic acid solution (400 liters of water for 10 liters of # acetic acid) at around 600C, and the operation is then terminated by a final rinse with water.

 These various rinses are carried out for approximately 2 to 3 minutes under rotation at a speed of the order of 100 rpm.

 After the last rinse, the washer is opened and the pants are then separated from the pumice stones and subjected to drying with hot air.

 Example 2.

 In a rotary drum washer of the same type as that described in Example 1, 80 pants of the "blue jeans" type, each weighing approximately 700 to 800 g, were also treated.

After having eliminated the primer according to the same procedure as that described in Example 1, 135 kg of pumice stones, 100 liters of water and 25 kg of slaked lime are introduced into the washer.
After a few minutes, about 6 liters of concentrated hydrochloric acid are then introduced.

 The washer is then rotated at a speed of approximately 100 rpm for 10 minutes at bath temperature and then 10 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 800C.

 The washer is then emptied and then rinsed once with cold water, with 600 liters containing about 6 kg of soap and 5 kg of sodium carbonate. After a new series of cold and then hot rinses with water (600 liters for each rinse), a rinsing is carried out using an acetic acid solution (400 liters of water for 10 liters of water). 'acetic acid) at about 600, After a further rinse with cold water, the washer is then opened and its contents unloaded. The pants thus treated are then subjected to a hot air drying operation.

Claims (10)

 1. A method of washing and aging textile articles in cotton canvas, characterized in that it comprises the stages consisting in firstly removing the finishing of said textile articles by treatment with hot water, to be subjected then said textile articles placed in a rotary drum washer with the simultaneous action of pumice stones and lime or a calcium salt, at bath temperature, and optionally by raising the temperature, to carry out a draining of the washer and subjecting said textile articles in the presence of pumice stones to a series of rinses with hot and / or cold water, one of said rinses being carried out in the presence of an acid.  2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the finishing of the textile articles is removed by treatment at a temperature of about 803C for a time of the order of 10 min.  3. Method according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the speed of rotation of the washer is between 50 and 150 rpm.  4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the treatment is carried out by raising the temperature to around 60 to 90GC for 10 to 15 min.  5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for 100 kg of textile articles, use is made  10) 150 to 250 kg of pumice stones,  20) 30 to 100 kg of and / or a calcium salt,  and 30) 140 to 300 liters of water.  6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pumice stones have sizes between 30 and 150 mm of which about 30% have sizes between 40 and 110 min, 30% between 30 and 80 mm and 40% between 60 and 150 min.  7. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the lime is quicklime or slaked lime but preferably quicklime.  8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the treatment is also carried out in the presence of hydrochloric acid, the proportion of lime or calcium salt per 100 kg of textile articles then being between 30 and 68 kg.  9. Method according to claim 8 characterized in that the amount of hydrochloric acid in concentrated form is between 6 and 20 liters per 100 kg of textile articles.  10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rinsing in the presence of an acid is carried out using an aqueous solution of acetic acid.